Session 5 | Abortion Pills 101 with Dr. Ruchi Kaul
Release Date: 10/30/2023
Session 20 | Art & Activism with Mar Lorenzo and Lara Islinger
Abortion Academy with SYA
The first episode in our "Study Abroad" section of Abortion Academy features artist and activist Mar Lorenzo and activist/researcher/Lara Islinger. Mariana Lorenzo, aka , is a textile designer and illustrator. Her art passionately advocates for women's rights, exploring themes of self-esteem, feminism, and LGBTQ advocacy. Lara Islinger is an an activist, researcher, and writer committed to decriminalizing, destigmatizing and demedicalizing abortion. Her work spotlights self-managed abortion and feminist grassroots networks providing alegal abortion care and accompaniment/doula support....
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Session 19 | Ethical Pregnancy Support
Abortion Academy with SYA
JustChoice is a grassroots organization founded by people with a range of experience with abortion, adoption, parenting, and the foster care system. The organization is built around the principle that a pregnant person cannot make an ethical adoption decision without having access to all their pregnancy options, including abortion. JustChoice is contacted by pregnant people who need support—emotional, financial, administrative or otherwise—and staff help them navigate both their pregnancy decisions and the systems surrounding pregnancy that are so notoriously harmful, especially to...
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Session 18 | Abortion is Ours
Abortion Academy with SYA
In this session we spoke with Natalia Broniarczyk from Poland's Abortion Dream Team. We talked about self-managed abortion, abortion with and without mifepristone, strategies for international solidarity, abortion in restricted contexts, and much more. Natalia Broniarczyk is a Polish abortion rights activist. She is a member of the Abortion Dream Team (pl: Aborcyjny Dream Team), created in October 2016 to help people in Poland source and safely take abortion pills in a country where abortion is illegal in nearly all circumstances. As part of the Abortion Dream Team, Broniarczyk provides...
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Session 17 | Community Resilience
Abortion Academy with SYA
SYA Executive Director Amelia Bonow and SYA Organizing Director Jex Blackmore talk about building strong, resilient networks with the people around us in order to to prepare for the difficult times ahead. Amelia and Jex talk about the connection between abortion access and forging strong communities, and offer some concrete suggestions for how to build your own.
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Session 16 | Plan C Pills
Abortion Academy with SYA
In this session of Abortion Academy we talk with Elisa Wells and Lauren Hattaway from Plan C Pills. We focus on how the US presidential election outcomes could affect abortion pill access in the US, including potential legal and regulatory challenges posed by election outcomes: a federal ban, enforcing the Comstock Act, threats to shield laws, and more.
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Session 15 | Colorado Doula Project
Abortion Academy with SYA
In this session of Abortion Academy we speak with Gina Martinez from the about his work with CDP, including an overview of the abortion doula role, how CDP supports abortion seekers, and Colorado's significance in the US abortion landscape. We talk more about how and why CDP was created, the importance of making change outside of medical systems, and how big changes begin with regular folks. Listen to learn more and get inspired!
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Session 13 | Later Abortion Part II with Erika Christensen
Abortion Academy with SYA
We are thrilled to welcome our first repeat guest back to Abortion Academy! Erika Christensen from and returns to take a deeper dive into abortion later in pregnancy. Abortion is on the ballot everywhere this election season, and understanding policy proposals can be confusing. We'll talk about ballot measures, how limited protections harm us, and how abortion bans work to punish pregnant people beyond abortion. She'll also dive into effective ways to talk about later abortion while centering core values, support, and destigmatization. You'll come away with a better...
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Session 12 | SCOTUS AMA with Rhiannon Hamam
Abortion Academy with SYA
In this episode we talk with Rhiannon Hamam of 5-4, "a podcast about how much the Supreme Court sucks." Rhiannon will gives us a broad overview of how the conservative legal project has shaped abortion law, talks about the concept behind "laws aren't real," and hosts an AMA on all things SCOTUS-related. She is a former public defender and a co-host of the “5-4” podcast, about the US Supreme Court and the conservative legal movement. She is an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement. Currently, she works with law students in an experiential learning setting.
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Session 11 | Prairie Abortion Fund Book Club
Abortion Academy with SYA
In this episode we talk with our friends at North Dakota's Prairie Abortion Fund about their extremely successful activist book club. Since their first in 2019, they've read dozens of books, hosted hundreds of readers from across the United States and Canada, and fostered a thriving community of people who love books and abortion. We'll learn how the club got started, how it has evolved, and how Prairie Abortion Fund continues to organize. Projects like the Prairie Abortion Fund Book Club are doing critical, life-saving, movement building work. Considering a book club of your own? This...
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Session 10 | All About Reprocare with Lupita Sanchez
Abortion Academy with SYA
In this session of AA, we learn about ’s peer-supported model of abortion care, how they take inspiration from global community support networks, and how a peer-support model differs from a medical hotline model. We’ll talk about how the healthline process works, learn about frequently asked questions and conversations, and gain a general understanding of the folks seeking support around self-managed abortion. Peer support is incredibly important in the US right now—come learn more and get involved! Lupita Sanchez is a dedicated community organizer with over a decade of...
info_outlineDr. Kaul lead a fascinating Abortion Pills 101 breakdown, covering questions about the abortion medications mifepristone and misoprostol, how the pills work and how late into pregnancy they work, misoprostol-only protocol and effectiveness, medical FAQs on pills, and more!
Abortion pills are an essential way that folks access abortion in the US and globally, and the number of people using pills to have safe abortions is growing daily. This is an absolute do-not-miss session for folks interested in ensuring abortion access via pills.
Ruchi Kaul (she/her) is the physician and founder of Maitri Wellness, one of the first direct primary care practices in New Jersey. Prior to opening her practice, she taught full spectrum family medicine, including abortion care, to family medicine residents. She was the third US provider to start mailing pills during COVID and contributed to the data that helped the FDA make mailing of the pills legal. She is also a co-founder of the Abortion Freedom Fund, and volunteers for the Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline. She is, more recently, a co-founder of Abuzz Health, an organization that mails pills to pregnant people desiring to end their pregnancy and makes sure each patient gets the care and resources that they need before, during, and after their abortion. Abuzz wants to education people as much as possible about abortion, and so provides resources and information even to people who are not their clients. In her own medical practice, Ruchi integrates Western medicine with older traditions, such as Ayurveda and acupuncture, as well as coaching and transgender care, and strives to make that care affordable and accessible.